Centre failed to deliver on promises, says Farooq Abdullah

Srinagar: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday said that the BJP government at the Centre has miserably failed in delivering on the promises it made during the 2014 elections and, therefore “a failed government and a failed Prime Minister needs to be shown the door”. Mr Abdullah who is re-seeking election from Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency said that the democracy is a humbling experience and that people of the country are seeking answers from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on issues of price rise and unemployment. “During Modiji’s stint as chief minister of Gujarat he used to mock the previous government on these issues but now what has he done? The people of the country especially our mothers  and sisters are finding it very difficult to run their households in view of soaring prices,” he said. He added, “Modiji had promised to deliver on various issues concerning the nation during his 2014 election campaign but he has aggravated the problems to an extent that will take decades to solve.”

The NC leader while addressing a party election rally in the town of Budgam near here alleged, “Modi government presents a tale of failures and misgovernance” and said that the people “have now made it a point to give befitting reply to Modi for his failures and lies in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. “

Accusing the Prime Minister of squandering the mandate of the people by  imprudent policies of his government, he said, “We in Parliament knew that the government has failed to deliver on key issues that the country is facing, so they would create a war like situation in the country to divert the attention of people from the real issues affecting the poor particularly farmers and the labour class.”  The NC leader while flaying the Prime Minister for creating “war hysteria” in the country “to divert the attention of people from farm distress, price rise and foreign policy failures” said, “War is no solution. It brings with it innumerable miseries”. He said that former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had once said that friends can be changed, but not neighbours and added “However, Modi failed to carry forward the legacy of Vajpayeeji.”

He alleged that the agenda of BJP-RSS is “divisive” and said, “We saw how they are contriving to vitiate the atmosphere of our state. But we as peace loving people should never allow ourselves to fall prey into the hands of their shenanigans. We should strike unity and work for a country where in all of us live amicably and derive our share from the development and prosperity.”

He also said that the RSS-BJP combine and their “cronies and henchmen” are bent upon to cause division among the people of Jammu and Kashmir and harm the special status the State enjoys within the Indian Union.

He said, “These forces are inimical to the identity and integrity of State. They will try their level best to use men, money to impede elections, but we have to put up a strong front and work tirelessly to ensure that all the candidates of NC win by resounding margins. Only then we can work for a tolerant and secular India. Our vote will make a difference.”